Interview: Catatonic Schizophrenic

– How are you feeling?
… Well. – How long have you been here? … Three months. May 17th. – And what brought you here? … That’s difficult to answer. – Could you give me some idea? … Off hand, I can’t. – Whose idea was it that you come here? … My psychiatrist. – And what happened that ended up with your being here in the hospital? … The psychiatrist decided. That this was the situation for me. – Did he tell you why? … No, the psychiatrist did not. – Has anybody told you why? No.
– Have you any idea why? Yes. – And what is that? I am not completely like… other people. – What do you mean by that? People dislike me because. I am not completely like them. – And in what way are you different? I am trying to do with my life something which… few people try to do. And… this influences my thinking. And consequently my actions. – What is it you’re trying to do with your life? … Play the piano for people. – I am not clear at… – How is it that playing the piano for people has eventually resulted in your being here in the hospital? … I sit differently. When I play the piano. And when I am away from the piano I occasionally look differently. From other people. And this has caused. Dislike. From people. – They dislike you because you sit differently at the piano? … Yes. – In what way do you sit at the piano that people would dislike you? … I cannot describe. An illustration. Of how I sit. – And I can’t imagine it, that it would make people angry at you, or at least dislike you. – How do you know they dislike you? … My father does. And. Doctors do. Because. Of the way. I appear. In relationship to the way I sit at the piano. And occasionally stand when I am away from the piano because of the way I sit at the piano. – How do you stand when you’re away from the piano that they dislike you? … I can’t describe. An illustration. – Does it “feel” to you any different from the way other people stand? … Yes it feels different. – In what way? It… this is becoming too involved to describe. – Would I be right in assuming then that… – you don’t feel that you belong in the hospital, – but that other people did feel that? … As soon as I express the belief that I do not belong in this hospital, which is a mental hospital, then… those who dislike me want to find a worse place for me. – I’m not sure I understand. Could you make that clearer for me? … No. – Is this a way of… … A hosp—Yes, I can. As soon as I express the belief that I do not belong in this mental hospital, then those who dislike me want to find a hospital where the living conditions are not as good as this. – But why are you in the hospital in the first place? I’m not clear. … Because I am working to do something in my life which most people do not do… This influences my thinking. And occasionally my actions. And… A psychiatrist has noticed this. And dislikes…
– What has he noticed? … the actions, and… the thinking, and has decided that I should be here. To change them. – What actions? … How I talk. And how I look. Right at this moment. – And how would you describe the way you’re talking and looking right at this moment? … As other people talk, and that this moment however I’ve been told that it is not the way other people talk and look. – Have you any idea in what way it’s not like others? … No because I believe it IS as other people talk. – So then from YOUR point of view, not from other people’s point of view, from YOUR point of view, – You look, you talk, you think, you behave… as other people do. – You’re very interested in learning to play the piano. – You sit at the piano a little differently from the way someone else might and you stand somewhat differently. … Occasionally I stand differently. – Now that, uh… in itself, doesn’t seem on the surface to be sufficient reason for being in a hospital. – So what other reasons have been given to you, or what other reasons do you understand are the causes of your being here? … I’m supposed to not. Be mentally well. – And what’s supposed to be wrong with you? … No doctor has told me. – That’s hard to believe. … I tell the truth. What are your plans? If things should go well, and you were to leave the hospital, then what? … I need financial help from my father to prepare. Me. For obtaining a job. As a piano instructor. At a university. Where I will be able to teach. People how to play the piano. And also play the piano. For people. – Have you had the training yet to permit you to be an instructor? No I have not.
– Have you tried? I don’t understand what you mean by the…
– Have you tried to get the instruction? … Yes I have tried.
– And what’s happened? … I have not had. The correct environment. For the instruction. Nor the correct financial help for the instruction. Nor… the correct instruction. – Have you been accepted for such instruction? … By some teachers. Yes. – And… by others no? Yes. Again.
– Mhm. It has been about half and half. – Have you started any such instruction with those who did approve of it? … Yes.
– And how has it gone? … With some it has gone well. With some it has not gone well.

In 1961 treatment for this disorder and other mental problems were archaic and at times even barbaric. It is a real shame treatment then really didn’t help this poor soul. Now drugs have come a long, long way in helping these individuals.

I'm guessing that the way he sits at the piano is probably a little on the "fruity" side. Same with the way he stands when he's apart from the piano. And his father is definitely not pleased with either.

He seems extremely smart his skin is beautiful he almost looks like an alien or from another planet it’s sad to hear him say his father does not like him i think it would be fascinating to sit and talk to him

So basically from what I understood. This person overechadurates. You know when you were a teenager and you were insecure about a specific pimple or acne? Well this guy went full blown insecure. About everything single thing. To basically reach perfection.. . While in the meantime went completely insane. Now im not a professional it's just the way I thought aswell. I was researching skitzophrenia I thought I might have it. I had went insane aswell. For the same reason. But fortunately I remained conscious of my actions. And I understood the ridiculousness of my thoughts. Basically the way I thought is that everyone is against me. That they know information that I don't(way smarter than me or have some telekinetic powers). Also my brain is against me(making me believe stuff that aren't true not complying with me and threatening me) I realised that it's just me. Forcing myself because I'm frustrated and I don't want to lay that frustration on others. I just realised that I did it to accomplish stuff to achieve greatness I started that when I was a cringy edgy teen. By doing that you completely lose touch of reality because you're too much in your brain trying to understand how it operates and change stuff, you're frustrated because it's hard and also because it may not work sometimes eventually it goes to hatret towards ownself after that it becomes insecurity cause you start to believe that you're nothing so there's wrong with you. And because you overechadurate everything everything becomes overechadurated and you get this guy and me. Who fight insecurness because we fear it so that means we get anxious we overechadurate it so much that he doesn't even realise the reality of his thoughts and your head becomes this big mess with everything in it. Just because you decided to say. That everything matters every single detail and you forced yourself to make yourself believe that and so you went insane. Also we're kids in our own playground which is our mind. It's so scary that you just need your mom in there. Cause it's a completely different world when you go inside that state of mind. It's just horrifying. It's one of the most traumatic experiences I ever had in my life. You feel as tho you're alone. Because no one ever will save you in that place. No one can get in to that place. Every single thing that i say can be held against me. I basically bullied myself inside my mind for almost 6 years. And now that I'm out of it. I feel like I never want to get back in there again. You feel as tho every one is just like this bully inside your mind. Who is there to watch you. Wherever you go you're not alone and this bully is the only company you have. I think skitzophrenia. Is a form of depression. Because doctors say it isn't, I say it is. It's a unique kind of depression and needs a lot of therapy.

This man is a very smart and should have been given allot more respect. It’s horrible to see that he even knew if he disagreed with the hospital then he would end up in a worse one with worse living conditions, a man with that level of intelligence and awareness should not have been treated this way. When he said he would end up in a worse place seeing the fear in his eyes that just by saying it might have made it a possibility really upset me he genuinely believed that and possibly rightfully so. I hope he got to for fill his dreams of playing piano for people all’s this man wanted to do was bring people joy through music sad really.

This kind soul has been abused emotionally, medically, and intellectually by mental healthcare. Mental healthcare was , is, and will possibly forever be the most inadequate field of medicine to date. Psychiatrists cant get it right, and many do more harm than good.

One thing that is important to remember is that he is most likely on antipsychotics and antidepressants and mood stabilizers. He looks medicated and stressed out. Like he said he was labeled schizophrenic and therefore has to take medications for it.

1:05– 🙁 makes me sad cause you can see the pain in his face. He doesnt know whats wrong with him he doesnt know why he is there he is trying to be normal but everyone is telling him theres something wrong with him 🙁

3:55– I understand. I have a severe mental disorder that isnt really understood and bc it isnt understood its hard to cure/theres no med specifically for this. Therapists hate treating it/having a client with it. Psychiatrists dont like us bc its hard to find the perfect balance of meds. People in general dont like us for some reason. When i say us im talking me and others with my disorder.

5:15– damn that is the truest shit ive ever heard. 1961, they where JUST coming away from the whole “if they act out throw it in a crazy house and leave em there” to more “wait some of these people are crazy some are not, we should figure out who is and who isnt and then figure out their illness so we can help people be healthier” mental hospitals werent good in the early 60s still but they definitely Werent as inhumane as earlier years. I heard what happened to him and it breaks my heart. Obviously intelligent. Obviously using the piano as an analogy OR bc he truly believes he plays piano. I wish he was alive today to see how far weve come in accepting those with illnesses. May he rest in peace ❤️

He probably sits at the piano like a gay queen. He's obviously gay. Maybe that was his real perceived problem. Imagine being a gay camp guy in the US 60 years ago. 60 years ago in the US they still persecuted blacks terribly then with segregation etc. Imagine how they looked on gay men like this. I think this guy was just gay and loved the piano.

He reminds me an awful lot of Elliot Rodger, the kid who videotaped his final moments before going on a "retribution" rampage in Isla Vista a few years back. His lips, his voice, his intelligence and his total disconnect with "normal". I wonder how much confusion and thought scrambling in this man was brain chemistry/wiring and how much was medication.

As someone who has had the misfortune of dealing with psychiatric "experts", institutional and otherwise, for more than 50 years, I can honestly say that this "interviewer" would be enough to make ANYONE irritable and ultimately "catatonic", if only to escape. Attempting to engage in a meaningful way with someone under the influence of either their own brain chemistry/wiring or psychotropic meds is an exercise in stupidity. Have things changed since 1961? Not a hell of a lot. How little we know even NOW about mental illness and personality disorders. Psychology has not evolved as much as perhaps it needs to.

Everyone on here is completely oblivious! I lived with a schizophrenic family member and the man in the video is avoiding confrontation or answering questions, hes not "smarter" this is just ONE of many behaviours people with schizophrenia have. The man interviewing him is not being mean, his dad probably isn't being mean (he just thinks he is) , these are questions designed to show schizophrenic thinking.

AMAZING. I was watching this, and said to myself " Back then people who were sensible and just clearly recognized this man for what he is, a danger to himself and others. BUT in 2019, the leftist weirdos would simply look at him as one of them and he would not be considered abnormal just a default leftist voter" Well sure as shit, I go to the comment section and what do I see: A plethora of comments vindicating and adoring him from sjw weirdo's. One person actually wrote take him out of the hospital and put him in the sunshine. This is how literally half of America thinks now. That is fucking horrifying